GENERAL HISTORY. 



[3 



" I am too well convinced of 

 the loyalty and good sense of the 

 great body of his Majesty's sub- 

 jects, to believe them capable of 

 being perverted by the arts which 

 are employed to seduce them j but 

 I am determined to omit no pre- 

 cautions for preserving the public 

 peace, and for counteracting the 

 designs of the disaffected. And I 

 rely with the utmost confidence 

 on your cordial support and co- 

 operation, in upholding a system 

 of law and government, from 

 which we have derived inestima- 

 ble advantages, which has enabled 

 us to conclude, with unexampled 

 glory, a contest whereon depended 

 the best interests of mankind, and 

 which has been hitlierto felt by 

 ourselves, as it is acknowledged 

 by otlier nations, to be the most 

 pcifect that has ever fallen to the 

 lot of any people." 



His Koyal Highness then re- 

 tired, and their lordships adjourned 

 till five o'clock. 



After the Prince Regent had 

 withdrawn. 



Lord Viscount Sidmouth rose and 

 announced, that before any other 

 matter could he entered upon by 

 the House of Lords, he had one of 

 the most important communica- 

 tions to be made to them that had 

 ever been laid before Parliament. 

 Accordingly, after the strangers 

 had withdiawn, he informed them, 

 that when the Prince Regent was 

 returning from the House, and 

 passing at the back of the garden 

 of Carlton-House, the glass of the 

 carriage had been broken by a 

 stone, or by two balls from an air- 

 gun, which appeared to hare been 

 aimed at his Royal Highness. In 

 tlie result, a conference was de- 

 sired to be held with the House 

 of Commons, at which an Address 



to his Royal Highness was agreed 

 ujjon, congratulating him upon his 

 escape. 



The farther proceedings upon 

 this subject will appear in the 

 Chronicle of the present year. 



On January 29th, the Speech 

 of the Prince Regent was taken 

 into consideration by the House 

 of Lords. The Earl of Dartmouth 

 first moved an address of thanks, 

 which was in the \isual foim, and 

 was seconded by the Earl of Rothes. 



Earl Grey then rose, and began 

 withdeclaringhis full assent to that 

 part of the speech which gave a 

 tribute of applaiise to the noble 

 admiral, and his officers and sea- 

 men, wiio were engaged in the 

 expedition against Algiers ; at the 

 same time he could not refrain 

 from doubting liow far the advan- 

 tages arising from the enterpiize 

 would lie adequate to its expense, 

 or to its future seciuily. With 

 respect to the termination of a 

 remote war in India, he conceived 

 it lather too much to ask at the 

 present moment for an opinion 

 concerning the cause and necessity 

 of a war, when, to the best of his 

 knowledge, no information had 

 been laid before their lordships on 

 the subject. 



Passing over these topics, the 

 Earl proceeded to take into his 

 consideration the speech from 

 the throne, and the speeches of 

 other noble lords, respecting the 

 probable continuation of peace. 

 The system of policy on which 

 this confidence was founded, ap- 

 peared to him, instead of tending 

 to secure this end, fraught with 

 the greatest danger to the peace 

 of Europe. This idea he pursued 

 through \arlnus consequences; and 

 with regard to the policy which 

 we had adopted relative to the 



[B 2] French 



